Former President Jimmy Carter Hospitalized To Relieve Pressure In Brain

Former President Jimmy Carter was hospitalized Monday night for a procedure to relieve pressure caused by bleeding in his brain, The Carter Center said in a statement. The bleeding was caused by Mr. Carter's recent falls, the statement explained.

"President Carter is resting comfortably and his wife, Rosalynn, is with him," according to the statement. The procedure will take place Tuesday morning at the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Mr. Carter, who is 95, has had a number of health scares in recent years. In 2015, he announced he had been diagnosed with cancer that had spread to his liver and brain. He stepped back from responsibility at The Carter Center, but he continued teaching Sunday school classes in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. It's a tradition he started in his teens that has gained a wide following.

But just six months later, he was treated with a new immunotherapy drug and made a remarkable recovery, announcing an MRI showed no signs of cancer and he needed no more treatment.

In May 2019, he suffered another health setback when he fell and broke his hip. The fall left him with a black eye and 14 stitches — but he nevertheless attended the opening ceremony for a Habitat for Humanity build in Nashville along with Rosalynn, who is 92. 

Mr. Carter suffered two more falls in October 2019, and was hospitalized for a fractured pelvis. Less than two weeks after the fall, he said he planned to return to teaching Sunday school. 

This spring, Mr. Carter surpassed George H.W. Bush as the longest-lived U.S. president in history. The Carters recently became the longest married presidential couple, surpassing George and Barbara Bush, with more than 73 years of marriage.